Saturday, January 17, 2015

7 Must Have Organizing Tools

I'm always looking for new organization tools. Honestly, though, I tend to keep coming back to the same ones over and over again. Which obviously means that they are the best organization tools in the world.

Here are seven of the things I love most for organization in my home (all links are Amazon affiliate links):

1. Label Maker

Because, of course a label maker is my number one must have tool for organizing! I particularly love the Dymo Plug-n-Play Label Maker. I like that it's small and easy to store, but I LOVE that I can just plug it into my computer and have access to all the fonts I have installed. It really appeals to my aesthetic sense not to have to be limited to just one font. You can also purchase three different widths of label tape in various colors, though I tend to stick to the 1/2' width in white or clear.

2. Over-the-Door Shoe Organizers

I love the clear pocket shoe organizers for their versatility. I don't think I've ever used one for storing actual shoes, but I've stored many other things in them! When my girls were little, I put one on the bathroom door and kept all of their hair paraphernalia in them: ribbons, rubberbands, bows, headbands, flower clips, barrettes, brushes, and detangler sprays. It made it so much easier to do the hair of three little girls every day. I've used one in my closet to store accessories like scarves and necklaces. And I currently use one to store all of the American Girl Doll clothes in our house (see more on that here: Toy organization).

3. Clear Plastic Shoe Boxes

Plastic shoe boxes are just the perfect size for so many things, and they stack really nicely if you have all the same brand. And even if you don't, they still tend to be pretty uniform in size. I use them for organizing craft supplies, art supplies, bathroom items, and in my pantry. All well-labeled, of course!

4. Empty Spice Jars

These empty spice jars are another thing that can be really versatile. I definitely use them to store spices (and if you don't want to bother with a label maker, you can also buy a sheet of pre-made spice labels). I like having my spice cupboard totally uniform, so these jars are perfect. They are also perfect for storing tiny office supplies like paperclips, thumb tacks, and rubber bands. I am sure you can think of lots of other great ways to use them to help organize your own house!

5. Magazine Holders

Magazine holders are excellent for storing any type of paper goods. I store all of my cardstock and patterned paper in them, as well as sheet music, phone books, old notebooks and journals, and yes, even magazines.

6. Grocery Bag Dispenser

Up until a couple months ago, I just kept all of my plastic grocery bags in a clear shoebox. As much as I love the clear shoeboxes, it simply wasn't working for me in this situation. I went online and found this grocery bag dispenser and was shocked that it was only $10.00! I stuck it inside my basement door and the bag mess has been fixed for good.

7. Hardcover Journal

My most important organizing tool is my to-do list. I keep it in a hardcover journal and I can't live without it. None of my organization projects would ever get done if I didn't keep this journal. For more information on exactly how I use it, you can click here: Declutter Your Mind.

What are your can't-do-without organizing tools?

This post may contain affiliate links, for more information, please see my disclosure.

Lara Neves

Lara is mom to three daughters—two teens and a tween. She loves to share her parenting and homemaking triumphs and failures here at Overstuffed! She was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2015 and has been fighting it ever since. When she isn't working on her mother of the year award, you can find her reading, singing, or taking photos.

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8 comments:

There are label makers that can take special fonts?!!? Oh and just as I had decided that it would be silly to want one, ha! I love the idea of magazine holders to keep cardstock and scrapbook paper in as well! My cardstock all sits in a dresser drawer, getting all messed up because it's not well organized. This might be the perfect solution! :D

I totally agree! I a green with envy over your label maker (mine) are hand written) but for the most part I have the same, although I could always use some more clear plastic bins! Thanks for sharing the info!